Even back in 1989, the Wings saw something in the Swedish teenager that he didn't see in himself.
"When I first came over, I think I signed a three-year contract and I was just hoping to make the team," Lidstrom said last week. "I didn't know anything about the team, except for Stevie (Yzerman) being on the team.
"If I didn't make it, I could always go back and play in Sweden, but I wanted to make a career out of it over here. But I wasn't sure if I was good enough to do it."

Regner goes on to tell us how Lidstrom's appearance as a teenager at the 1991 Canada Cup really cemented everyone's belief that he was going to be one heck of a player. But even then certainly no one was predicting a career that included 7 Norris Trophies and 4 Stanley Cups.

On Thursday that career will conclude with Lidstrom's jersey #5 going to the rafters in Detroit. He is a slam dunk Hall of Famer in 2015, as well.

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